Starting means for hydrocarbon-engines.



Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

2 SHEETH+BHEET 1.

R. ODELL. STARTING MEANS FOR HYDROGARBON ENGINES.

ll -lllllllllh lulimi: nhufifiiiu 7 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1907;

R. ODELL.

' STARTING MEANS FOR HYDROGARBON ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1907.

AEIEETE-SHEET 2.

Patented Aug. 30; 1910,

'RODMAN ODELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STARTING MEANS FOR IIYDROCARBON-ENGINES.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented Alig. 30, .1910.

Application filed September 16, 1907. serial No. 393,111.

To all whom it may concern." 7

Be it known that I, RQ MAN ODELL,31 citizen of the United. States,residing at- Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and,

useful Improvements in Starting Means for Hydrocarbon-Engines; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionofgthe invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to whichit appertains to makeand use the same.

This invention has for its object to provide simple, efficient 1 andeasily operable means for starting the multi-cylinder hydrocarbon motorsof automobiles withoutnecessitating the driver leaving his seat, andconsists in the features of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and Claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this l I lVQIitlOIli igure' -1is .a top plan viewof a four-cylinderhydro-carbon motor equipped withstarting means con structed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is aidetail vertical section of a. compressor employed. Fig. 3 isa top plan view oft he compresso'r and carbureter and shows the gear ngof-the compressor to a crank shaft ]ournaled 1n a bearinglm'thedash-board, the latter being 'shown 'in 'sec-' .tion. Fig. is a sideelevation of the said gearing.

In order tostart a hydro-carbon motor it is primarily necessary tointroduce into one or more cylinders, a compressed chargev of carburetedair, which, upon ignition explodes andthus produces an initialstroke ofsufficient force to give the requisite impetus to the. balance wheel torepeat the carbureter and compressor, also-showing operation which iserie-rally first performed by turning the drive shaft with a crank.- Thelatter operation requires theexercise of considerable strength andnecessitates the chauffeur leaving his'seat. The strength required isgenerally greaterthan is possessed by women, and consequently the latterare frequently unable to start an automobile without the aid of a man.

render the starting of the motor not only very easy, but further, toenable the start ing means to be operated from the seat of theautomobile and thus avoid the necessity of the driver stepping outfrequentlyinto muddy roads'in order to perform the op-' eration.

My invention comprises means whereby a compressed charge of carburet'edair .is simultaneously introduced into all the cylinders of amulti-cylinder hydro-carbon mo tor by means of a small easily operatedpump having compression chambers-corresponding in number with thecylinders and each connected with the compression and explosion chamberof one of" said cylinders whereby all cylinders in which the'pistons'are' not in exhaust position receive a compressed charge, the pressureof the latter being in exact proportion to the size of the respective.compression chambers dueto va rious positions of the pistons therein;Consequently'upon sparking one of said charges,

it 1s. ignited and insures the compression and'lgfiltlOIl of at least asecondcharge so introduced and thereby positively insuring the continuedoperationof the motor as long as desired.

ware that the introduction of a motor itself, is not'entirely novel, andmy in vention resides therefore in arrangement involving a singleoperatlng device for a carbureted air is introduced into all com-'multi-cylinder motor'whereby a charge of pression chambers in which thepistons are I in the proper positions to impart the initial strokesnecessary to start the motor into con tinuous operation;

Insaid drawings the compressor -1, which is in the instance illustrated,is of the 001- lapsed flexible tube type carrying'tubes 2- correspondingin number with the cylinders of the motor 3'which in-this instance arefour in number; The said tubes 2 are disposed parallel with each otherin the concave portion of the plate lwhich is disposed concentric withthe bearings of the shaft 5 of parallel disks or wheels 6. The latterare connected with eachother at regular-intervals adjacent theirperipheries by the cross rods 7 on which rollers 8 are 'revolubly dis-My invention has for its main object to posed, the latter travelingoverand comwith the carbureter't) connected with the pletely collapsing thetubes 2, the latter exsupply of hydro-carbon liquid by means of the pipe10 controlled by the valvell, and

at its discharge end is connected with the compression and explosionchamber of one of said cylindersby means of thepipes 12, 1

13, 14 and 15 respectively. Each of said pipes l2 to 15 inclusive, isequipped with a valve or stop-cock 16 and a check valve 17 the'latterbeing disposed between the valve 16 and the point of connection of thepipe with the cylinder, the latter connection being preferably effectedby means of a T, one arm of which communicates with the cylinder throughthe outer end wall thereof latter simultaneously with the valves 16. I

The carbureter 9 employed is additional to the carbureter feeding themotor while 'in'operation, and is supplied. for the reason that the'carbureted air introduced into the compression must be saturated inorder to.

supply sufficient vapor to the .air or products of. combustion containedin the 'motor' cylinders to insure combustion in the latter and toeffect this throughthe carbureter feeding themotor, would necessitatereadjustment of the latter to an extent which would seriously interferewith properoperation of the motor. The shaft 5 of the disks or wheels 6is suitably. geared to the crank-shaft 22 journaled in a bearing inthesaid dash-board, the, crank 23 thereof being disposed within easy reachof the chauffeur.

My devicemay be disposed in any available space adjacent the motor andoperatesin a very simple manner as follows: The motor being inert, thechauffeur first'adjusts his motor controlling lever to very low speedand then turns the crank 23 thereby. operating the compressor, thevalves 11 and 16 being open, The compressortakes its supply through thecarburetor 9, the latter being so constructed as to'saturate the airpassing therethrough with hydro carbon vapor.

Said saturated air is fed continuously into the compression chamber ofall cylinders and enriches the air, orproducts of combustion containedtherein to an extent which renders the latter combustible. In afourcylinder motor, one piston and the valve controlled thereby is always inexhaust position, hence, the carbureted. air entermg said cylindersmerely pass through but leaves a charge therein. Another cylinder is inposition to ignite the charge upon closing the igniter circuit and thetwo'remaining pistons are approaching the respective positions of thosealready mentioned. After rotating the crank '23 a few times, thechauffeur adjusts his motor controlling lever to medium speed and thencloses the igniter circuit thereby exploding one charge, and the impetusthus given the motor causes at least one other charge tobe exploded inproper succession after the first and this insures operation of themotor. The rod 19 is then moved to close the valves 11 and 16 .thus.preventing flooding ofthe carburetor 9 andconsequent Waste of hydrokcarbon liquid.

The crank 23 occupies very little space and by reason ofthe smalldiameter of the tubes '2 is so easily operated as to bring it withinreach of a young girl. Any other conven ient form of multicylindercompressor may be employed without departing from my invention.

I desire to direct particular attentlon to the carburetor 9, which asstated, is so 0011 structed as to completely saturate the air -withhydro-carbon vaor: "This, I have found by long and care 111 experiment,to be absolutely essential to successful 0 eration,

the carburetors generally employe to feed hydro-carbon motors beingtotally-inadequate to produce a sufliciently enriched carbureted' air.The said carbureter forms. the subject of a companion application filedsimultaneously herewith.

- I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a multiscylinder hydrocarbon motor, an auxiliarycarburetor, a compressor having a plurality of chambers, one'foreachcylinder, an operating device adapted to cause the simultaneous,contraction of the chambers ofsaid compressor,

assa 'es connectin each ofsaid chambers with said carbureter and withits respective -motor cylinder, and mechanism for impartmg motion tosaid' device-for forcing carbureted 'air intoall 'of the motor cylinderssimultaneously.

2. The combination-- of a multi cylinder hydrocarbon-motor, an auxiliarycarbureter,

a lurality. of compressors, one forfeach cylin er, a-rota'ry operatingdevice comprising a plurality of parts adapted successively to cause thesimultaneous contraction of' the chambers of said compressors, passagesconnecting each of said chambers with said carbureter'and with therespective motor cylinder, andmecha'nism' for causing the rotation ofsaid'operating device.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.-

RQDTMAN o en..-

Witnesses:

Rooonrn WM. Lo'rz, E. L. Moore.

